


I Knew You (Once)

by Jen425



Series: Choices Never Disappear [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: Rebellion Era - All Media Types
Genre: Anakin Skywalker Needs a Hug, Fix-It of Sorts, Gen, Obi-Wan Needs a Hug, R2-D2 knows all, Readeemed Vader
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-11
Updated: 2018-11-11
Packaged: 2019-08-21 23:12:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16586114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jen425/pseuds/Jen425
Summary: Anakin had tried to leave.





	I Knew You (Once)

**Author's Note:**

> F I N A L L Y ! ! !
> 
> A PART TWO!!!
> 
> Enjoy

Obi-Wan wonders, sometimes, if Vader’s death makes things better or worse. If it makes the memories of Anakin and Mustafar less painful. Sometimes he even thinks that he feels Anakin’s presence, even, but…

 

He knows that it’s not.

 

Vader is dead, and Anakin died years before that.

 

And that’s just the truth.

 

So, when he feels the echo of Anakin for what must be the fiftieth time, he ignores it.

 

It’s just his imagination.

 

(It’s just his broken heart.)

  
  
  


Anakin doesn’t know what self destructive tendencies call him back time and time again. To this stupid planet.

 

He knows that Obi-Wan can watch over Luke, that the Larses, from what he’d seen, are good people.

 

Besides, it’s not like he can go and see them.

 

“[You should talk to Obi-Wan-Kenobi,]” Artoo beeps. Anakin just sighs. He wants to, but…

 

He doesn’t deserve to, and, like it or not, Obi-Wan would fight him. You can’t go back from the Dark Side, and Anakin…

 

He’d Fallen too far, too fast. He can never come back up.

 

And certainly not in the eyes of a Jedi.

  
  
  


Obi-Wan doesn’t quite know what to do. Surely he must be imagining things, but Anakin’s faint present had stayed far longer than it usually did.

 

And it felt so… sad.

 

But Anakin is dead.

 

Obi-Wan should probably check out the source of this feeling.

 

He’d felt it this strongly another time, and he’d only barely made it in time to save Luke. (Although, that time, the echo of Anakin had been filled with fear.)

 

And that’s when he sees the two forms in the distance.

 

Now he  _ has  _ to know.

  
  
  


Anakin is so lost in his thoughts that it dawns on him far too late that Obi-Wan is close.

 

And running will only make his Master want to follow.

 

Artoo twitters.

 

“[And now you have no choice, Anakin-Skywalker,]” he beeps. Anakin sighs.

 

No, he doesn’t.

 

Anakin watches as Obi-Wan rides towards him. He doesn’t know what to do. Obi-Wan stops, a few feet from him.

 

“Who are you?” he asks. Anakin sighs, pulling back his hood and reopening the remnants of their bond.

 

“You know who I am,” he says.

  
  
  


No… it can’t be…

 

“Vader?” he asks. The other human flinches just a bit, then he laughs.

 

“I suppose you’ll always see me as that, won’t you, Master?” he says. “It’s the Jedi way, and I couldn’t tell you that you were wrong.”

 

Obi-Wan shakes his head. No. This is impossible. This can’t be  _ Anakin _ , so it has to be an illusion.

 

Or it could really be Vader.

 

Obi-Wan lights his blade.

 

“What are you doing here?” he asks. Vader sighs.

 

“I visit, sometimes,” he says. “To check on you and Luke… I can’t be who they need. That man was killed eleven years ago, in the Chancellor’s office and then in fire.”

 

Pain flashes on their bond. Perhaps the biggest sign that this is real is their bond.

 

And, wait…

 

“How did you learn about Luke?” Obi-Wan asks. Vader just gestures at the droid at his side.

 

R2-D2.

 

Oh.

 

R2-D2 beeps something rather smug for a droid, and Vader sighs.

 

“I’m sorry,” he says. “For everything. If you want to kill me now, I won’t stop you. I’ve done… many things, before Artoo helped me get my head on straight.”

 

R2-D2 beeps an angry whistle that sounds familiar. Vader turns to him.

 

“He has every right!” Vader yells. “I’m not Anakin anymore, not… not anyone.”

  
  
  


Anakin sighs again, the sound exaggerated by his voice modulator. How did he let this happen?

 

“[You are being an idiot, Anakin-Skywalker,]” Artoo beeps. Anakin just shakes his head.

 

“No,” he says before turning back to Obi-Wan. “So? Will you kill me?”

 

He gestures at the lightsaber in his former friend’s hand.

 

“I have no saber, but I’m not defenseless.”

 

Obi-Wan just sighs and puts it away.

 

“I don’t know who you are or why you’re here,” he says. “But if you really are Anakin, and you did somehow come back from the Dark, I want an explanation.”

 

Anakin smiles sadly.

 

“Leia is my explanation,” he says. “I saw her, and I knew. Artoo planned the rest. I… I couldn’t bring myself to stay, and now I serve the rebellion from even below the shadows.”

 

He looks away.

 

“And I know it changes nothing, but I’m sorry,” he says, looking away. “I destroyed… everything. And I wish with all of my heart that it could all be undone, but it can’t.”

 

“Anakin…”

 

Anakin reopens their ripped bond, lets the Dark flare up.

 

“I’m not Anakin, either,” he says.

  
  
  


Obi-Wan takes a step back. Anakin’s eyes flash yellow, and the Dark in their bond is terrifying. It’s not the rabid anger that he was forced to face on Mustafar it’s… colder. Clearer.

 

Controlled, not controlling.

 

“I…” Anakin says. “I don’t know what to tell you. And I need to go.”

 

Obi-Wan just shakes his head.

 

“Neither do I,” he says. “But… let me know, the next time you’re near?”

 

Anakin smiles.

 

“Okay,” he says. “Goodbye, Obi-Wan. May we see each other happy one day.”

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on Tumblr @flaim-ita


End file.
